Behind the Curtain: What We Learned from Following a C-I Performance Course
Five themes that really stood out to us from the C-I in Action series, and five takeaways for planning your upcoming courses.
This summer, we tried something new—an experiment in following a single Communication-Intensive (C-I) course across the semester. We weren’t sure what we’d learn, but we knew we’d be curious. What we discovered surprised us: not just the big ideas of reflection and capturing learning in the moment, but real, nuanced insights about what it means to teach communication well. Here are five themes that really stood out to us and five takeaways for planning your upcoming courses.
Five Big Themes from the Series
There are so many insights, but we want to close with five big themes—ones that we think resonate beyond this particular class.
1. Communication is Multimodal (and Embodied)
In C-I pedagogy, we talk a lot about multimodal communication. At first glance, this can seem obvious—"students will write a paper and then present it”—but the deeper meaning of multimodality often emerges in the doing of the teaching.
One standout from Naomi’s course was her focus on full-body staging and physical presence. Communication didn’t just happen through words—it happened through posture, gesture, breath, and stillness.
So how does this apply to other classes? For example, what if the course is focused on writing or technological communication?
Even in writing-focused courses, physicality matters. We write with our bodies, our histories, and our environments. Asking students to reflect on where, how, and in what state they write can foster awareness and agency. In tech-based communication, embodiment shows up through interface design, user experience, and accessibility—how a message feels can be just as important as what it says. Physical presence and intentionality underlie all modes.
2. Feedback is a Skill, Not a Moment
If you're planning your fall course now, you're probably noting key “feedback days” like a peer review session or a major assignment to return. But Naomi’s reflections showed us that feedback isn’t just a moment on the calendar—it’s a skill to be practiced, modeled, and scaffolded.
Students in her class didn’t just receive feedback—they learned to ask for it, offer it with care, and make decisions about using it. Importantly, consent was part of the process: students could choose when and how to engage in critique.
How do we teach students to receive and use feedback, not just receive it?
By building feedback literacy early, creating low-stakes practice opportunities, and naming the emotional labor of giving/receiving critique, we support a more compassionate classroom. Embedding feedback into daily class habits, and checking for student readiness, deepens its impact.
3. Trust Takes Time—and Transparency Builds It
Trust didn’t appear overnight. It was built week by week through Naomi’s transparency—explaining why she was assigning something, reflecting aloud on what wasn’t working, and adjusting based on student readiness. That trust opened doors to bolder performances, richer reflections, and a willingness to revise.
4. Revision is Performance, Too
Naomi’s boldest mid-semester move? Cutting a final assignment to make room for deeper revision. It changed everything. What had felt rushed became reflective. Students breathed—and so did the course. We’re often told to value revision in writing; Naomi reminded us that revision is part of performance, too.
5. Community Builds Communication
By semester’s end, students had become mentors, co-teachers, and collaborators. They didn’t just perform for the class—they supported each other’s performances. Community didn’t just happen—it was cultivated through intentional structures and rituals, and it made communication possible.
Lessons Learned: For Instructors
Reflecting on these themes, here are five takeaways for anyone teaching a C-I course—or any course where communication is central.
1. Start with the Senses
No matter your communication mode—written, spoken, visual, or technological—grounding students in sensory experience helps them find their voice. Starting with the senses encourages authenticity and deepens the meaning-making process.
What are some ways you can start with the senses?
Ask students to describe a memory using sensory details before writing a narrative.
Use object-based learning: bring in a physical item related to your topic and have students write or speak about it.
Begin a tech or design class by asking students how a website or image feels to navigate or view.
Invite students to do a "walk-and-reflect" exercise, noticing how their physical environment influences their thinking.
2. Build Feedback Literacy Early
As discussed above, feedback is a learned skill. The earlier we model, practice, and reflect on it, the stronger our class communities become.
How do your students work with feedback? What practice do they get in giving and receiving it?
Include peer review rubrics and reflection questions.
Offer sentence stems for constructive critique.
Let students "opt in" to feedback formats (oral, written, group, private).
Use class time to role-play feedback scenarios or debrief what effective feedback looks like.
3. Be Willing to Revise the Syllabus
Flexibility isn’t a failure. As Naomi’s course showed, responding to student needs can deepen engagement and unlock reflection.
Have you ever made a change based on student needs? What was the result?
In one example, a writing professor delayed a major essay after a campus emergency, instead assigning a reflective letter. The result? More thoughtful, grounded writing later in the semester—and stronger trust.
Another instructor shifted deadlines to allow peer editing earlier, resulting in stronger final projects.
4. Rituals Matter
From movement warmups to breathing exercises, class rituals set tone, support presence, and create psychological safety. They also support instructor well-being, which too often goes unacknowledged.
What are some rituals in your class? How do they support learning?
A "question of the day" to open discussion.
A 3-minute freewrite at the start of class.
A shared playlist for writing time.
Standing stretch breaks during tech-heavy sessions.
These rituals ground learning in community.
5. Explain the Why
We often articulate the what—the assignment, the grade, the outcome. But when students understand the why, their engagement shifts. Naomi’s transparency helped students trust the process and take ownership.
What are some ways you share the 'why'?
Include “Why this matters” sections in assignment sheets.
Narrate your instructional decisions aloud.
Ask students to reflect on the purpose of an activity.
Share professional or real-world connections early and often
Thanks again for following along with this C-I course spotlight. What resonated with you? What are you trying in your own classes this fall? Let us know—we’d love to keep learning together.
Read the full C-I in Action series
Part 1: Meet Communication Studies Professor Dr. Naomi Bennett and learn a little about her Performance Composition C-I course
Part 2: Take a look at some of the initial planning and the first few weeks of the course
Part 3: Exploring the importance of feedback and a willingness to shift plans to ensure successful course outcomes
Part 4: Recognizing a need to change course to facilitate meaningful student engagement, and seeing the outcome of that revision to the plan
Part 5: Explore how scaffolding, trust, and feedback shaped the second half of the semester
Part 6: Students begin building confidence, critique, and connection by putting what they’ve learned into practice
Part 7: Students close the semester balancing challenge and care in the second round of personal narratives